Column Definition Table

The Column Definition Table in the Data Loader window contains the information on the columns to be imported and is automatically filled in when the source data is selected.

Note: Although each column of data can have many properties, you only have to set Import Column and Mapping Type fields. You can also change the column definitions after loading.

The following columns can be configured in the Column Definition table.

Note: If some columns are not visible, check the settings in the Loader properties tab.

  • Import Column – If checked, the data in this column is imported. Click this column header to sort the columns by the order in the data source.
  • Column Name
  • Mapping Type – How the column is to be used by the analysis and display components. Mapping types can be extended by third-party developers. Some standard mapping types include:
    • None
    • X – X coordinate for spatial data. 
    • Y – Y coordinate for spatial data.
    • Z – Z coordinate for spatial data.
    • Assay – Measured value of an element or molecule.
    • Domain – Defined groups.
    • Weight – Use the values of this column to weight other column data. See the Weight Column description below.
    • Drillhole – Sample drill hole name.

      Note: See Mapping Types Window for more information on mapping types.

  • Module – Module that this mapping type is defined.
  • Calculated – Calculated columns are created by you or Supervisor and are not part of the source data.
  • Dynamic – Created by Supervisor. Dynamic columns are not part of the source data.
  • Display Name
  • First Value – The value of the column in the first row of the source data.
  • Expression – A mathematical expression to create a calculated column.
  • Weight Column – Select a column to use as a weight value for this data column. This changes the distribution of the data set.
  • Minimum – Apply a minimum for this data wherever it is used. See how to Minimum and Maximum Filters for more information.
  • Maximum – Apply a maximum for this data wherever it is used. See how to Minimum and Maximum Filters for more information.
  • Units
  • Categorical/Continuous – Whether this data is classified as categorical or continuous.
    • Categorical – Contains data that has a value out of a list of possible values. This data is associated with the Domain mapping type and is often alphanumeric, but can be numeric.
    • Continuous – Contains data that can have any numeric value. For example, Au values, heights or velocities. This data is associated with the assay Mapping Type and often has a floating point type, but can also be an integer type.
  • Data Type – The type of data stored in this column. The number of bytes stored for each type is in parentheses. Data type can be selected from the following:
    • Double – Double precision numeric value. Default for numeric values.
    • Single – Single precision numeric value.
    • String – String value. The number of bytes stored for this column is the number of bytes of the largest string found. Default for a string type.
    • Boolean – The only allowed values are "true", "false", "1" true) or "0" (false). Any other value generates an error, and the value is set to false.
    • Int16 – An integer type of 2 bytes.
    • Int32 – An integer type of 4 bytes.
    • Int64 – An integer type of 8 bytes.
    • UInt16 – An unsigned integer type of 2 bytes. These values are assumed to be positive.
    • UInt32 – An unsigned integer type of 4 bytes. These values are assumed to be positive.
    • UInt64 – An unsigned integer type of 8 bytes. These values are assumed to be positive.
    • Byte – A field of 1 byte long.
  • Max Length – String data type only. The length of the bytes (characters) stored in this field. The system corrects this value if the largest string found at load time is larger.
  • No Value – Defines how the loader interprets data without a value. This can be set as:
    • Missing – No data point.
    • Default – Apply a specified default value for this record (see Default Value below).
    • Error – Value is interpreted as missing and generates an error.

      Note: See Manage Missing Values and Errors when Loading Data for more information.

  • Default Value – Default value to be used if No Value is set to Default. For numeric data a valid numeric value must be used, and for non-numeric data a blank value is set as the default.
  • Colour Key – Double click to edit the colour key. Apply this colour key by default wherever this column is coloured by value. By default, this is a colour key with the same name as the column. This colour key is generated by the loader. See more on Colour Keys.
  • Reverse Colours – Switch hot and cold colours. Low values display as hot (that is, red) and high values display as cold (that is, blue). This setting can be set to default in the Options tab.
  • Colour – The colour associated with this column. A random colour is assigned by the loader.
  • Display Width – Number of characters used in reporting this column's data. Default: 12.
  • Display Decimals – Number of decimal places used in reporting this column's data. Default: 3. The default for this setting can be changed in the Options tab.
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